


Both and Neither

by Akiraisintelligence



Category: Original Work
Genre: Fae & Fairies, Gen, Past Abuse, of a Faery
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-02-11
Updated: 2013-02-11
Packaged: 2017-11-28 22:24:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 983
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/679533
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Akiraisintelligence/pseuds/Akiraisintelligence
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A half-faery muses on who she is, and who she thinks she should be. For a bit of clarity, the main character lives with faerys, not humans.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Both and Neither

**Author's Note:**

  * For [gaara_winds](https://archiveofourown.org/users/gaara_winds/gifts).



> The characters in the story are 16. Those that are Fae will live forever unless killed, and half-bloods can live for centuries and not look a day over twenty. It depends. 
> 
> Cait Sidhe are cat faerys, Baobhan Sith (Sith and Sidhe pronounced shee) are essentially vampires, and Piskies are pixies, but size-changers and a lot more sneaky then the Pixie Hollow creatures.

Stars.

Stars, bright and glittering in the clear night sky. Keandra traced the picture of a faery's wing, then reached to rub at her back. If she was normal, large, insectoid wings would flow seamlessly from her back.

Sadly, she wasn't normal.

The sudden smell of grass and copper announced the arrival of Aileana, Keandra's best friend. Keandra turned, but didn't rise from the stump she was sitting on. She was glad to see Aileana, yet now...she wanted to be alone.

Huge, gossamer crimson wings hung down to Aileana's sneakered feet. Dark copper hair spilled on creamy skin. Emerald cat's eyes examined Keandra worriedly. And, of course, pointed ears, the hallmark of a Faery, whatever race, peeked through the waves of red hair. Keandra took a moment to note Aileana's black jeans; when you were that pale you should avoid wearing black and red. Still, Aileana was an ethereal beauty.

"Hey, K", Aileana said, pulling down the sleeves of her red wraparound. "You all right?"

Keandra brushed long blonde hair away and blinked back tears. Her colorless  _human_  eyes resembled the ocean when she cried. For some reason.

Aileana sat down, and rubbed Keandra's blunter ears. It was just something that usually calmed Keandra down. When shudders had stopped running through the half-faery, Aileana wrapped strong arms around her friend. 

"So K, you want to tell me what's wrong?"

Aileana barely heard the mumbled words, but it was just loud enough for her to catch, "Aeron."

Aileana pulled her lips back to reveal pointed teeth. Not fangs, but close. Aileana and Keandra belonged to a type of Fae originally half Cait Sidhe, and half Piskie. That didn't mean they were vicious to everyone, but Aeron was the classic mean girl with the twist of being Baobhan Sith. Aeron loved mocking people, especially Keandra. Because Keandra was thin-blooded, with weak magic.

"What did Aeron say?"

_What did Aeron say to make you leave the Summer Lands, the realm of Fae, for Ireland at night?_

Keandra shuddered again. Aeron's taunts had made her feel sick inside, but in Fae you can't show weakness. Especially if you're half-blood. She remembered the time at school, earlier...

_Everyone has to go to school, and the Fae delight in copying from humans. So Fae High was quite similar to human high school, even with a few Faery touches. Like the classes were primarily learning how to use magic. Fae parents were expected to teach their children math and all those other things themselves._

_"Hey, Keandra!"_

_Keandra froze. Oh great, Aeron. What did the blood-sucker want now?_

_She slammed her locker shut and turned. Aeron sauntered up, surrounded by her cronies and sycophants. Long black hair fell over her blue t-shirt, contrasting sharply with white skin. Her eyes were red, red as the blood she drank. Keandra had never understood why some humans thought leeches were romantic._

_"So, Keandra. When did your mom get you?"_

_Keandra blinked. What?_

_"What do you mean, Aeron?"_

_Aeron smirked. "When did she steal you? I mean, no faery looks this human."_

_Keandra flinched as if she'd been stung. Changelings could be accepted in society, whether they were Fae or human, but they were usually looked down as dregs of society._

_"She didn't steal me. I'm half-blood."_

_Aeron's grin widened. "Oh, so you're a mutt then. Everyone knows your race is a mix. Part-human mutt you are!"_

_Keandra felt tears grow. She knew she looked human. She wished practically daily she had wings, at least. But she didn't, so..._

_"Tell me, is it true your family inbreeds?"_

_Keandra felt a vindictive pleasure at the shocked look on Aeron's face. "Thought so." She gathered her books and walked away._

Once her friend finished, Aileana released her friend, digging sharpened almost-claws into the stump. Her eyes reflected light that had no source. Keandra did have Fae traits. Her skin shimmered in the right light, and she had almost-claws like the other members of their kind.  Add that to Keandra's fine bone structure, and she was really quite pretty. Unfortunately, among creatures who ranged from beautiful to frankly horrifying, Keandra looked rather...well, average. But how dare Aeron say that to Keandra! That slimy...

"It's alright, Kee. Aeron is just a blood-sucking jerk. You're way better then her."

Keandra sniffed again. "You think so?"

"I know so." Aileana placed a hand on her friend's shoulder. "And I know the way we can prove it."

The next day, at school, the two put their plan into action. That's how they ended up hiding behind a wall, watching as Aeron pulled her thermos of, unsurprisingly, blood out of her locker. She had a couple of her sycophants clustered about.

"You sure this'll work?" Keandra whispered.

"Positive," Aileana replied, flicking lint off Keandra's green sweater and brushing her blonde hair out of Keandra's eyes.

They watched, as Aeron raised the thermos to her lips...

...and cried out as the cap fell off and red liquid spilled all over Aeron's _white_ t-shirt.

Keandra's nose wrinkled. The liquid smelled coppery, like meat and death. It was blood, after all. Turning, Aileana and Keandra made their way to Theory of Magic.

Keandra watched her friend out of the corner of her eye. She stepped around a few things that couldn't pass for human with all the lights off, as she thought. 

Aileana was so strong, considering her past. Only Keandra and Colleen, Aileana's mother, knew of the scars that ran down Aileana's back and covered her stomach acd shoulders. Well, them and the worm that had done that to Aileana in the first place. That was one of the reasons the two were friends. They were both missing fathers.

Keandra let a smile on to her face. She'd one-uped Aeron. Her life was going fine. 

She was both a human and faery, and she was neither. And perhaps, that was for the best.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Keandra means 'magical power'.  
> Aileana means 'of the green meadow'.  
> Aeron was a goddess of battle or slaughter.


End file.
